ERVING — Funding for the under-construction library is the biggest item on the agenda at Tuesday’s Special Town Meeting.
Other items are on planning for future development of central Erving, and adjustments to the town’s budget for the 2020 fiscal year, which starts July 1.
The Special Town Meeting will start at 7 p.m. at the Senior and Community Center, 1 Care Drive.
Voters will be asked to appropriate $3.1 million for the new library in two warrant articles.
The larger request is for $2,551,007 for construction. The project is worth about $5.8 million total, but the town’s costs are reduced by a grant from the state Board of Library Commissioners for $2,729,146. Construction began in March, and is expected to take nine months, meaning the new library could be open by early 2020 at the soonest, said Library Director Barbara Friedman.
Rather than borrow the $2.5 million, this article would take it from the town stabilization fund, and rescind the borrowing authority granted by the May 2017 Annual Town Meeting. This will save the town the fees and interest costs of borrowing, according to notes on the warrant.
The other article is $550,000 for a solar panel array as well as library furniture and equipment. Solar power is expected to keep energy costs level with what the library pays now, despite the new building being four times larger than the current library, Friedman said. Notes in the meeting warrant say that failure to approve the solar power installation would jeopardize Erving’s eligibility for the state grant.
■$7,200 to hire a consultant to work with the town, residents and businesses on a plan for future development of central Erving. This transfer was approved at a special town meeting in January, but the school that was hired had to cancel, and the project was put on hold.
■Establishing a new revolving fund for the library board of trustees, limited to $3,000, to accept money paid for use of the library, as well as fees for programs and lost books.
■$233 for a 2018 Comcast bill to the Fire Department, received after the books for the 2018 fiscal year were closed.
■Increasing the budget for the 2020 fiscal year by $32,436, to adjust town employees’ wages for cost of living increases.
■Setting salaries for elected officials at $122,463, total. This article rescinds the number approved by the May Annual Town Meeting, which did not account for cost of living increases.
■$50,000 for a market study of wages for town employees in towns comparable to Erving.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 261.